Limestone Way
The Limestone Way nearPeak Forest
Length	46 miles (74 km)[1]
Location	CentralEngland
Trailheads	Castleton,Derbyshire Rocester,Staffordshire
Use	Hiking,Mountain Biking,Horse Riding
Elevation gain/loss	1,806 metres (5,925 ft)[1]
Highest point	461 metres (1,512 ft) onBradwell Moor

TheLimestone Way is a waymarked long-distancefootpath inDerbyshire, England. It runs for 46 miles (74 km) through theWhite Peak of thePeak District National Park, fromCastleton south toRocester over the county boundary intoStaffordshire. The trail is named for thelimestone scenery along its route. It was devised by Brian Spencer of MatlockRotary Club and developed and opened in 1986 by theWest Derbyshire District Council (which becameDerbyshire Dales District Council in 1987). It originally ran toMatlock, but was extended to its current, longer route in 1992 to join up with theStaffordshire Way.^[1][2][3]

From Castleton, the route runs upCave Dale, past the village ofPeak Forest, downHay Dale (shared with thePeak District Boundary Walk) and alongPeter Dale. It then runs parallel toMonk's Dale and through the village ofMillers Dale (passing under the viaduct which carries theMonsal Trail and crossing theRiver Wye).^[4]

It then crosses the A6 near the Waterloo Inn and over Taddington Moor. The trail follows old miners' tracks through the villages ofFlagg andMonyash, acrossCales Dale and pastYoulgreave along theRiver Bradford throughBradford Dale. The route then continues acrossHarthill Moor (past the rock outcrops ofRobin Hood's Stride and Cratcliffe Rocks), following the ancient Portway track^[5] past the village ofElton, aroundWinster andBonsall and throughGrangemill (across the Via Gellia road), after which it crosses theMidshires Way and theHigh Peak Trail. The trail then passes north ofBrassington, past Rainster Rocks and runs through the ancient hamlet ofBallidon. The route goes into the village ofParwich and then crosses theTissington Trail before running throughTissington itself and ontoThorpe.^[4][6]

The trail crosses into Staffordshire over theRiver Dove at Coldwall Bridge and then down intoDovedale atEllastone on its approach to the Roman settlement of Rocester.^[4]

v t e Limestone Way
Legend
Castleton Cave Dale  A623  nearPeak Forest Peak District Boundary Walk Hay Dale Peak District Boundary Walk Peter Dale River Wye atMiller's Dale  A6  nearTaddington Flagg Monyash Lathkill Dale Moor Lane River Bradford atYoulgreave Winster Matlock Bonsall Ible  A5012  at Grangemill High Peak Trail Brassinton Parwich Bletch Brook footbridge Tissington Trail Tissington  A515  Thorpe River Dove inDove Dale  A52  Ellishill Brook River Dove atEllastone Rocester
Sources[7]

The Limestone Way passes through a historic landscape with prehistoric monuments, Roman sites and centuries of industrial heritage:^[6]

• Peveril Castle ruins at Castleton^[8]
• Route ofBatham Gate Roman road^[9]
• Hay Dale, part ofDerbyshire Dales National Nature Reserve
• Twin railway viaducts atMillers Dale railway station
• Wye Valley SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)^[10]
• Five Wells chambered tomb onTaddington Moor^[11]
• One Ash Grange, established by the Roche Abbey monks in 1147
• Lomberdale Hall at Youlgreave, home of localVictorian antiquarianThomas Bateman
• Nine Stones Close, Bronze Age stone circle^[12]
• Robin Hood's Stride gritstone outcrop and pinnacles
• Cratcliffe Rocks with its hermit cave^[13][14]
• View ofCarsington Water
• Medieval settlement and field system of Ballidon, with its Norman chapel^[15]
• Tissington Hall, historicJacobean home of theFitzHerbert family^[16]
• Civil War redoubt (military earthwork defence) at Tissington^[17]
• Coldwall Bridge over the River Dove
• Ellastone Bridge over the River Dove^[18]

Train stations:Matlock,Cromford.

Spurs link to Bonsall and onto Matlock (along the old route of the path) and from Thorpe toAshbourne.^[4]

Details of connecting routes may be found on the Limestone Way page of the Long Distance Walkers' Association website.^[1]

The official guidebook is theLimestone Way Walker's Guide, published by Derbyshire Dales District Council.^[19]

The route is marked on Ordance Survey maps and is covered by three OS Explorer maps:

• OL1 – The Peak District (Dark Peak)
• OL24 – The Peak District (White Peak)
• 259 – Derby

• Peak District
• Footpaths in Derbyshire
• Footpaths in Staffordshire
• Long-distance footpaths in England

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